Why For Days, Bombas Bet on Take-back Programs

Kaley Roshitsh
·2 min read

Scaled clothing recycling is a big infrastructural need in fashion, and some brands are taking the front seat to its acceleration.

With a mission to minimize all clothing waste, circular brand For Days has built up a take-back system to process, upcycle, recycle and resell large quantities of returned clothing and is opening up the service to other brands and retailers — starting with its first partner, Bombas.

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The B Corp, best known for its humanitarian aims and comfy socks, is partnering with For Days to curb landfill waste. To date, Bombas has chalked up 50 million sock donations to people experiencing homelessness, while For Days has saved nearly 1 million pounds of clothing from landfill.

For Days’ “Tale Back Bag” operates similarly to a clean-out kit. Available for $10, Bombas shoppers fill the branded Take Back Bag with not only outworn Bombas clothing and accessories, but any other clothing from any other brand (in any condition) to be responsibly recycled. In exchange for their recycling efforts, customers get $10 in Bombas store credit.

Brands like Thousand Fell — under its SuperCircle initiative — are also powering scaled take-back for brands like Reformation, Mate the Label and TenTree. As with anything, scale is key, and the process involves tedious sorting to ensure materials — be it cotton, polyester, nylon or rubber (shoes are accepted in this program) — are put to their next best use.

For Days said there are no textile limitations to what it can accept and process for now. As for what’s next, the company said it has 10 brands in the pipeline for which they’ll be announcing Take Back programs over the next year. “Our community is really our pulse,” said For Days cofounder Kristy Caylor.

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